1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of removing dampness from the cooking space of a pressure cooker or a steam cooking device, said cooking space being at least partially filled with steam.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a device for removing dampness from the cooking space of a pressure cooker, said cooking space being at least partially filled with steam.
2. Scope of the Prior Art
It is not only in the field of large-kitchen technology that the tendency can be recognized that cooking processes of food are performed increasingly by means of pressure cookers. In the case of these cooking processes, it is in particular the exact controlling of the cooking process itself, but also the shortened cooking time as compared to usual cooking processes, such as for instance grilling, that is advantageous.
In the case of steam cooking or pressure cooking procedures, the food is cooked in a saturated steam atmosphere or in a mixture of hot air and steam, the steam building up or being generated, respectively, in the cooking space on the one hand by the escaping of moisture from the food itself and, on the other hand, by controlled supplementary addition of steam.
A substantial drawback of the steam cooking or pressure cooking process consists in that the surfaces of the cooked products feature a surface layer soaked by the steam, for instance the skin of poultry, which will shrink relatively quickly in the ambient air when being taken out of the cooker, the result being that meat products are of unfavourable appearance to the consumer. In particular, the effect of grilled food cannot be achieved with conventional steam cooking or pressure cooking procedures.
Various devices and methods have already been suggested to overcome this drawback.
DE 195 18 004 C1 discloses a method of thermal treatment of poultry and/or parts of poultry, wherein the cooking process is first of all performed at highly saturated steam atmosphere and the pressure cooking process is followed by a cooking process in which a controlled removing of dampness from the cooking atmosphere is performed, the result being that the products to be cooked are browned. This document does, however, refer to a controlled removing of dampness in general only, and the expert does not take any indications therefrom how this removing of dampness is to be performed and by what means this removing of dampness is to be obtained.
EP 559 080 B1 discloses a device for removing a particular gas component, the particular gas component especially meaning dampness. In accordance with EP 559 080 B1 this happens by means of a gas flow generated by a radial fan towards the opening of a housing, said opening in turn rendering the removal of gas controllable by means of a controllable flap. Furthermore, it is indicated that the reduction of the dampness contents in the interior of the cooking space is enabled by dry air flowing in. The expert does, however, not get any information at all where this dry air comes from, nor how and where it is introduced into the cooking space. Due to the expensive and complicated device for removing dampness this solution is particularly costly, very bad to clean and extremely restricted in its use.
DE 42 06 845 A1 discloses a method and a device for determining the share of a gas component in a steam mixture and the use of such a device. This device is said to be particularly suited for monitoring the share of water steam in the atmosphere of a cooking space or as transmitter for controlling the share of water steam in the cooking space. To this end, the ventilating wheel forming the radial fan comprises additional auxiliary blades at the rear side of this fan. These auxiliary blades serve to protect measuring sensors arranged in the measuring area from undesired disturbances in the cooking space, which partially cannot be influenced. This document, too, does not convey any information to the expert of how to perform removing of dampness from a cooking space and which means are suited to this end.